bronckhurst



Jan. 24, 1956 F. F. BRONCKHURST 2,731,847 GEAR SHIFTING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 2, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 H INVENTR. MIMFJZ 1956 P. F. BRONCKHURST 2,731,847

GEAR SHIFTING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 2, 1954 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR.

JTIWRMY United States Patent Ofice 2,731,847 GEAR SHIFTING MECHANISM Paul F. Bronckhurst, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force Application August 2, 1954, Serial No. 447,083 8 Claims. (Cl. 74339) shifted axially along the shaft to mesh with driven gears The rocker ar the gear teeth.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this in to the bodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the gear shifting mechanism of Fig. 1 taken along the line 2-2 of Fig 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the mechanism taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

as shown at 10, 11, 12, provided under the finger nut 14. exits of the openings are through passages narrower than the diameter of the openings. A motor 16 is shown connected to a shaft 17 through a flexible coupling 18.

Referring particularly to Figs. 3 and 4, the shaft 17 is 21 will rotate the gear 23.

The gear 23 is in constant mesh with a toggle gear 30 rotatable on bearings 31 and 32 in the rocker arm 34. Attached to the gear 30 and rotatable therewith is a pair 2,731,847 Patented Jan. 24, 1956 of discs 35 having substantially the same diameter as the gear 30.

er nut 14. Thus, the rocker arm can shift the gears 23 and 30 axially along the spline 21 when the rod opening 9 of plate 6, the rocker arm being rotatable and 37 may pass through the narrow exits from the openings and holes.

Mounted on bearings 39 and 40 in the casing 5 is a shaft 41, on which IS mounted screws 56, 57, 58, 59, shaft 41 and 60. Another by set screw gear 62 is at- 63, this latter gear pair of discs 35 are thinner than the discs 49 to 53, inclusive, so that they are sufiiciently flexible to permit easy contact between the respective discs. The discs also have tapered edges to aid the engagement between discs.

3 ii: an arc ahotit saiespnnea shaft, a second shaft mounted in said casing parallel with said spiin'e'd shaft, a plurality of driven gears of difierent -diameters mounted on said second shaft, means rotatable with said secondgear, and means associated each as "said gears o'n said second shaft ror frictionally me ting said means retatasie with said second gear at manually exclusive "times ier 'r'dtaiihg said respective gear at 'subsramisny the speed of Sara seconagear.

gear shifting machanisr'n in accordance with claim 1, in which said rocker arrn has me'ans associated therewith for locking said second gear in pre er meshing positien with res ect re a respective driven saidfme'ans including adjustable plates for p'rcdie't'ei'i'lii'r'iiii'g the respective positions said rockerarm. 3. Afgeai shiftih'g-rnc'chanism ih'ac'c'oidahce with claim 1, in "which "said rotatable with said means gear is at least one friction disc and said means associated with each of said gears on Said second shaft is at least one friction disc adapted to contact said first mentioned 'disc before any driven gear mesheswi'th said second gear.

*4. A gear shifting mechanism in accordance with claim 1', in which "said means rotatable with said second gear is apair-o'f parallel discs and said-means associated with each of said gears on said second shaft is adisc adapted to have a portion thereof positioned between the edges of said pair of discs.

5. A gear shifting mechanism comprising a drive shaft, a gear on and driven by said shaft and movably axially along said shaft, a second gear in constant mesh with said first gear, an arm on which s'ai" second gear is rotatable, said arm Being movable on and along said drive shaft to move said gears to different positions along said diiv'e shaft, a plurality of g'eai's of difieren't diameters adapted to be driven by said second gear, means rotated by said '4 second gear, and means connected to each of said plurality of gears foirrienerralw "ceataetrag said means rotated HY said second gear to rotate said respective gear to substantially the same peripheral speed as said second gear.

6. A gear shifting mechanism in accordance with claim 5, in which said first mentioned means is at least one frictional disc mounted on and parallel with said second gear and having substantially the same diameter of said second gear, and said second mentioned means is a disc mounted on and parallel with "each or said plurality fof gears and having substantially the same diameter as the respective gears on which it is connected.

7. A gear shifting mechanism in accordance with claim 6, in which are provided a plate having a large opening through which said arm extends, and smaller openings, each of which correspond in position to one of said plurality of gears, and smaller adjustable plates having holes smaller than said openings and substantially coincident therewith. 4 v j 8. A gear shifting mechanism in accordance with claim 7, in which a 'nut is threaded on said arm for movement into said holes to lock said arm in any particular position.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

